Starring - Winona Ryder (Heathers, Edward Scissorhands), David Harbour (Hellboy, Black Widow), and Natalia Dyer (Velvet Buzzsaw, After Darkness)
Release Date - 2017
Genre - Horror/Sci-Fi
Tagline - "It only gets stranger..."
Format - Streaming (Netflix)
Rating (out of 5):
When Netflix released the first season of Stranger Things I was obsessed. I fucking loved the show. As soon as I finished the last episode I started it over and forced my wife to watch it. Before the second was released I had watched the first season three times overall. However, when Stranger Things 2 was released I found myself struggling to finish it. In fact, I stopped on the fifth episode and turned my back on the show. It wasn't until recently when part one of Stranger Things 4 was released that I decided to go back and give Stranger Things another shot. It was a solid series but it was nowhere near as fun as the first season.
This season follows the gang who is still struggling with the upside down when will becomes possessed by a tentacle creature known as the Mind Flayer that pulls the gang and their surrounding family into the fight to save their little town from destruction.
Stranger Things 2 doesn't have that kick that the first season had. It's not a bad follow up to the original season but I feel like it's introducing too many characters with so much back story and their own story arcs that it's taking away from the overall show. Don't get me wrong, I do like the new characters and I like the attitude change they gave Steve but there is so much going on that it makes the main plot of the film lose the impact it was going for. The acting in this one is fantastic. The returning cast gives us some seriously amazing performances while giving us even more of the characters that we grew to love. I really like the fact that Steve, portrayed by Joe Keery, is no longer a douche and a fan favorite. I'm glad he was moved up in importance and I love the new characters we are given as well but this is the season's downfall. The story for this one is a serious attempt at following up to the first season. We get the DnD inspired story with the Lovecraft inspired creature getting the name of Mind Flayer. We also get a plethora of new characters that does over saturate the story. This season would have worked if they would have kept the character list short and tight. Instead, we get so many different side stories. It's almost as if this season was written by Bethesda. I liked the set up of the story and how it went but it could have been so much more fun if we would have just focused on the gang and the continuation of this story without the unneeded distractions. Finally, this season is just as beautiful as the first season. We have some great practical effects, lots of blood and gore, and some fantastic visual effects. The deaths are violent and bloody with some good use of practical and visual effects. Some of the visual effects are a little noticeable at times but overall they are almost as perfect as the practical effects. Overall, Stranger Things 2 is a serious follow up to the first season. It isn't without faults and spreads itself too thin at times but is still worth your time. If you are like me and loved the first season you will find it underwhelming at times but it does have it's moments.
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